Chocolate Pavlova Recipe & Video

A Pavlova is a light and airy
dessert that tops a
meringue cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit. I love how the outside crust
of the sweet tasting meringue cake is nice and crisp yet inside it's so
wonderfully soft, almost marshmallowy. For this recipe I have made a Chocolate
Pavlova which is slightly different than a regular Pavlova,
in that unsweetened cocoa powder is folded into the meringue. The cocoa powder
colors the meringue beautifully and provides a mild chocolate flavor.

A Pavlova belongs to the meringue
family but it is an unusual meringue in that a little cornstarch (corn flour)
and vinegar are added to the beaten egg whites and sugar. It is important when
making any meringue that the egg whites reach maximum volume, so make sure your
mixing bowl and whisk are clean and free of grease. Since we need just the
whites of the eggs, the eggs will need to be separated. It is easier to do this
while the eggs are still cold. Once separated, cover the egg whites and let them
come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes). Cover and refrigerate
the egg yolks for another use. I like to use superfine sugar (castor), instead
of granulated white sugar, as it dissolves faster and easier into the egg
whites. I know superfine sugar can be quite expensive to buy, so a good solution
is to make your own by processing 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar in
your food processor until very fine, about 30 - 60 seconds.

You may want to
serve the Pavlova the way many Australians do, and that is to turn the Pavlova upside down on the serving plate.
This has
the advantage of keeping the base of the Pavlova nice and crisp. While passion
fruit is the traditional fruit for a Pavlova, you really can use any type of
fresh fruit. Some good choices are raspberries, blackberries, strawberries,
cherries, gooseberries, peaches, oranges, kiwi fruit, and I think pomegranate
seeds would be great as well. While you can make the meringue cake a day or two before serving,
don't top with the whipped cream and fruit until shortly before serving as the
cream does soften and break down the meringue.

Chocolate Pavlova: Preheat
your oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm)
circle on the parchment paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circle is on
the reverse side.

In the bowl
of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on
medium speed until you have soft peaks. Then add the sugar, a
tablespoon at a
time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue is shiny and holds stiff peaks. (Test
to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between
your fingers. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty
the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth.) Then
add the vanilla extract and vinegar and beat until combined. Using a small strainer, sift the cocoa powder and cornstarch over the top of the
meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in. If you like you can then fold
in the
chopped chocolate.

Before placing the
meringue on your baking sheet, put a dab of the meringue on the underside of
each corner of the parchment paper. This will prevent the paper from sliding or
lifting up. Then gently pile the
meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges.

Place the baking
sheet into the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F
(120 degrees C). Bake the Pavlova for about 60 - 75 minutes or until the outside is dry. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch,
when gently pressed. There may be some cracks and you will see that the inside is soft and moist.) Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue
cool completely in the oven (about two hours).

The cooled
meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.

Shortly before
serving gently place the meringue on your serving plate. Whip the cold cream and
sugar in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment (can use a hand mixer or
a wire whisk), until soft peaks form. Mound the whipped cream into the center of
the meringue and arrange the fruit on top of the cream. Serve immediately as
this dessert does not hold well.

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